Week 8 The Ultimate Shopper Radio Shorts Scripted and narrated by Cub Lea as Steve Winter Last updated 07/05

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Hi, this is Steve Winter with today's Ultimate Shopper headache remedy.

When we get a doctor's prescription, we rarely have to ask what it's for and we usually have it filled immediately.

In many cases a doctor will prescribe a brand name just because it's convenient for him, and that costs you money. Always ask to know exactly what you're getting, what it does, and whether it can be had in a cheaper generic form. With the exception of a few antibiotics, generics must be every bit as good as the brand name before they can be sold.

You might also ask if the drug is in pill form. If it is, ask the doctor to prescribe half as much of a double-strength tablet, and break the tablets in half when you take them. This can save you up to thirty percent.

Be sure to have the name of the drug written on the prescription in plain English. Check when you get home to see if you don't already have some of that drug. If you do, call your doctor and ask if it's still fresh enough to use. if it is, you can have your pharmacist fill only part of the 'scrip or perhaps even avoid buying the prescription at all.

And ask your pharmacist if you actually need a prescription for that drug. It might be an over-the-counter drug, and if it is, you can save the dispensing fee by taking it off of the shelf yourself.

Hi, this is Steve Winter with today's Ultimate Shopper tip.

The retail world has been buzzing for some time over the recent facelifts given to some of the great old discounters. It seems the Kmart's and Zellers' of this world are going upscale, especially with their clothing lines. And this is scaring off a lot of their old customers.

Well, the discounters may have gone uptown, but they've kept their downtown prices. They still carry the discount lines and their own low-priced house brands, and they even carry the budget-priced clothing that made them famous. They've simply added classier merchandise to round out their appeal.

In fact, if anything, the discounters have become an even better place to shop. The profits they make on their upscale lines help to pay for the more expensive mall space, and after home and the workplace, we spend more time in malls than we do anywhere else.

So while your favorite discounter may look like he's gone uptown, you'll be happy to know he's kept the downtown appeal.

Hi, this is Steve Winter with a fully microwaveable Ultimate Shopper tip.

Many grocery chains buy preformed frozen foods, such as steakettes, fish sticks and chicken cutlets, in large quantities and repack them in the store. In theory, every piece should be the same size. but in practice, there's always some difference between them.

So it's not unusual to find four different packs of four hamburger patties with four different prices. When you're confronted with this situation, you can save up to ten percent by buying the lowest-priced package in the size you want. You'll never miss that little bit extra that you didn't buy.

The same applies to meats. Very few people can tell the difference between a twelve-ounce steak and an eleven-ounce steak anywhere but on the price tag. All you have to do is get used to buying a slightly smaller size than you're used to. You'll waste less, you could save up to two dollars a week, and chances are you'll never miss the difference. But if you do, go back to buying your regular size.

When you consider how much and how often you can save with this technique, it should be pretty hard to resist trying it at least once.

Hi, this is Steve Winter with another Ultimate Shopper tip.

With most of us limited in the amount of freezer space we have in our refrigerators, it's important to make that little bit of space count for every penny.

The secret to efficient use of freezer space is using it only for those foods which cost the most, take up the least space, and save you the most money when you buy them on special.

But don't compromise on quality just for the sake of stocking up. For example, if you don't enjoy the taste of frozen beef, there's no sense in buying it for the freezer. The same holds true for coffee, milk, cheese and cold cuts, but in most cases, these expensive foods will freeze beautifully and you'll save a bundle buying them on special.

If you've got the freezer space and you don't think you're compromising on quality when freezing expensive foods, stock up with as much as you can afford, especially if there's a super-special on that item.

Hi, this is Steve Winter with the last in this series of Ultimate Shopper tips.

It's so easy to get sucked in by the hype and the hardsell of the well-known retailers, and I've recently discovered that the term "guaranteed lowest price" doesn't mean a thing unless you can prove it.

A while ago I was shopping for an inexpensive tape deck. I went through nearly a month's worth of newspapers looking for the lowest prices on the three models I was most interested in. I finally tracked down what I thought was a great price on one of them, so I called the store to see if they had it in stock at that price. They said yes; I thought "great". They advertise lowest prices anywhere, so I won't be able to beat it.

Well, just on a whim I decided to call a competitor who carried the same line and see how much I was saving. I was shocked when he quoted me a price thirty percent below the other store. And when I called them back, they said to shop elsewhere because they could not sell it that cheaply.

Whenever you've settled on any kind of purchase, let your fingers do a little walking before laying your money on the counter. Just because they say they're the lowest-priced anywhere doesn't mean that they know everything that their competition is doing.